


Running Up That Hill Chapter Four

by broadwayblainey



Series: Running Up That Hill [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 22:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14680641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadwayblainey/pseuds/broadwayblainey
Summary: We're going back again, this time to a few days before the wedding and Cooper is being Cooper.





	Running Up That Hill Chapter Four

As a child, Blaine had come to associate three things with his big brother; the slamming of their bedroom door, the sound of his car engine in the silence of night after he had climbed out the window to meet his girlfriend, and the flash of a camera.  
That was something that was always theirs no matter how they drifted apart as they aged, Cooper documented everything. From Blaine's first day of kindergarten and high school, every graduation and birthday, Christmases in Ohio and New York (and the one at Cooper's place in Los Angeles that they don't talk about) to snapping pictures of Blaine, unaware of the camera, under Kurt's arm or kissing his cheek.   
His most recent obsession was the engagement, he had made Blaine reenact his proposal so he could take pictures. And then made them reenact it a second time so he could get some different angles. It was unspoken but Blaine knew it was because they had grown apart and back together, and now Cooper didn't want to miss out on anything.  
This lead to breakfast three days before the wedding.  
"Okay, smile!" the familiar flash of a camera and Blaine blinked his eyes until the bright spots faded.  
"Cooper, no more," Kurt said and tried to snatch the camera from his hands.  
"Ha!" Cooper hopped back out of Kurt's reach and took another picture. "You should know better than that by now, Kurt," he sighed and turned away from them. "Okay, Carole, strike a pose," Carole, breakfast wine in hand, tried to hide her face.  
"Stop it!" she giggled.  
"Yeah, leave her alone," Burt said from her other side. "She's wine drunk at 11 am, she has enough problems without being blinded."  
"I am not drunk."  
"Yeah, she's not drunk," Cooper said and took a picture of Burt with bacon hanging out of his mouth.  
"Cooper, we didn't invite you here to make a scene in the middle of the restaurant," Blaine warned.  
"Ah, you should know better than that by now, Blaine," Ava said from her seat next to Blaine. Ava was by far Blaine's favourite of the girlfriends Cooper had introduced him to. Aside from being beautiful, she was incredibly quick-witted and cool, a good match for his brother's particular brand of insanity. And, she didn't let Cooper get away with a thing, something Blaine appreciated.  
"Thanks, babe. Smile," Cooper raised his camera to his eye as Ava raised her middle finger. The camera flashed again as she winked an eye and flipped her dreads over her shoulder.   
Yeah, a good match for Cooper.  
"Besides," Cooper began, looking at the photos he had taken on the screen of his camera. "This is a big deal, Blainey."  
"No, this is breakfast, put the camera away."  
"Do as you're told because I have a question for you," Carole said, putting her wine glass down and looking at Cooper.  
"Fun," Cooper chirped and finally put the camera down.  
"When are you going to put a ring on the lovely lady over there?" she pointed at Ava.  
"Uh -"  
"Because," Carole said before Cooper could come up with an excuse. "She's beautiful and smart and gets me to drink wine at breakfast, so what's the problem?"  
"I don't -"  
"It's funny when she's not doing it to us," Kurt leaned in and whispered to Blaine who huffed out a laugh. Cooper and Carole continued their argument but Blaine barely heard them; he kissed Kurt's cheek and smiled back when his fiancee grinned. Kurt turned his head and knocked his nose against Blaine's.  
"If you want, Carole," Cooper said. "I can ask her to marry me now?"  
"Cooper Anderson!" Kurt shouted. The other people in the restaurant looked at them and Blaine tried to offer them his most apologetic grin, but trying to stifle his laugh made it a little difficult. "If you so much as think about proposing until after my wedding -"  
"Our wedding."  
"Our wedding is over, the next photo on that camera will be of your colon because I will shove it up your -"  
"Kurt Hummel," Burt warned and raised an eyebrow. Blaine snorted and Kurt nudged him with his elbow.   
"I don't think a camera would even fit, anyway," Blaine said.   
"I don't care, it's going up his ass!" Kurt said, and the people at the next table were definitely staring now.  
"Don't worry, Kurt, I would never allow him to propose to me like that," Ava said.  
"You don't get to choose how I propose."  
"Oh, please, Coop. Like you're the one in control in your relationship," Kurt teased.  
"Whatever, Hummel," Cooper huffed. They were all quiet for a minute until Cooper's hand inched towards his camera. "One with the in-laws, Blainey," he said and raised his camera back to his face. When no one moved he added, "Now, Blaine. Get between them."  
Blaine groaned but he did it anyway.  
"Hang on," Carole said. She pulled a compact mirror out of her purse and looked at her hair.  
Blaine stood up and walked around the table until he got to the space between Burt and Carole. He pulled up a chair from the table behind and sat down.  
"You okay?" he whispered to Burt as Kurt and Ava fussed over Carole's hair and Cooper stood up and filled the gap Blaine had left at the table, now directly opposite them, and adjusted his camera. "You're quiet."  
"I'm just taking it all in, kid," Burt said with a smile.  
"Yeah, I get that," Blaine chuckled. He looked around the table at his family, old and new. Kurt was wiping a smudge of lipstick off of Carole's cheek and Ava was gesturing with a wine glass as Cooper. "I'm thinking about taking back their wedding invites."  
"Even Kurt's?"  
"Especially Kurt's," he said and Burt laughed.  
"Can I say something, in case we don't get another second of peace before the big day?" Burt asked quietly.  
"Yeah, of course."  
"I just want you to know, Blaine," he started and leaned in closer so he wouldn't be overheard when everyone sat back in their seats. "I can not wait for you to be my son," he stopped again and patted Blaine's knee. "You already are, you're family. And you make Kurt happy, really happy. You both deserve it, all the happiness you have, that you will have," Burt's eyes were a little teary, but he went on. "I just can't wait."  
Blaine was quiet for a minute, not on purpose, he just didn't know what to say. They really were happy but it had come to feel like more than that; they were settled, comfortable, and that might sound boring but it wasn't. Blaine had always felt so fractured, like he had to be careful or his life would fall apart, but it didn't feel like that anymore. When he was with Kurt he didn't feel scared, he felt calm, and that wasn't something Blaine felt easily. If he could live the rest of his life just like this moment, with an overwhelming brother, a wicked in the most wonderful way future sister-in-law, the two people that had come to be his parents, and the man that he admired most in the world, who had agreed to be with him forever, if he could just be like this for the rest of his life, he would count himself incredibly fortunate.  
It would fall apart soon, it would fracture no matter how careful he was, but he didn't know that. For now, he could be careless, because he had other people to care for him.  
"Thanks, Burt," he said and covered the hand on his knee with his own. "I can't wait, either."  
"Okay, I'm ready," Carole finally handed her mirror to Kurt and put her arm around Blaine and squeezed him. She frowned at him and said. "You need to eat more, honey, you're wasting away."  
"I can't, I've got a suit to fit in."  
"Silly, you know you look amazing in that suit and -"  
"Can we just take the picture now?" Cooper groaned.  
"Fine, Cooper, take it," Blaine sighed and let go of Burt's hand to put his arm around his shoulders.  
"Say 'cheese!'" The camera flashed before they could say anything and, after checking the screen, Cooper put his hand over his heart dramatically. "Oh, you guys. You're beautiful."  
"I think we need one of just the brothers," Carole slurred. She stood up and reached for the camera, "I'll take it," she put her glass down on the edge of the table and Blaine caught it before it could smash on the floor.  
"How about I take it, Carole?" Kurt grabbed the camera from Cooper before Carole could reach him. "Get together, you two," Cooper reached out an arm for Blaine who tucked himself under it and wrapped both of his arms around his brother's waist.  
"Do I have anything in my teeth?" Cooper asked and flashed his teeth at Blaine.  
"No. Do I?" Blaine made the same face back at Cooper who shook his head.  
"Come on, posers," Kurt said from behind the camera. They both put their heads together and smiled that winning Anderson smile. "Lovely."  
"Let me take one of all three of you," Ava said. She took the camera from Kurt and shoved him towards Blaine, who held his arm out for Kurt. "First, do a nice one," Ava said, taking the picture after they all smiled. "Now, make it slutty," Burt and Carole laughed and Cooper immediately dropped into a squat on the floor, looking up over his shoulder at the camera and winking. Kurt and Blaine dissolved into giggle and Blaine hid his face in Kurt's shoulder when the camera flashed again.  
As Blaine had gotten older, there were three things he had come to associate, and would come to associate in the events that would follow, with his big brother; the flash of a camera, the ache in his cheeks that came with laughing too much, and always, always being there when he would need him.


End file.
